Gianforte Body Slam Open Post

5/24/2017

Note: There are 3+ updates at the bottom of this post.
Special Note: This is the 700th post on this Montana blog.

I’m getting a lot of emails from people asking me what I think.

Well, this is a hot story.

Boy, and what a story it is!

I mean, Gianforte body-slamming a Guardian reporter?

That was just one of the strange twists to hit the last 24 hours of this 2017 Montana special election for the U.S. House seat vacated by Ryan Zinke on March 1.

So let’s do an open post where you can say whatever the hell you want.

I have to admit, when I first heard the Gianforte body-slam come on Fox radio national news tonight at 8 PM I thought it had to be Quist.

Quist seemed to me like the only one that would be frustrated.

Hey, I figured he’d lose and perhaps he did too!

But it was Gianforte that had all this pent-up emotion and frustration, it seems, and boy did he let it out in Bozeman tonight!

While the left and out-of-staters view this as bad, many in Montana will like it

Remember, Gianforte didn’t have an election night shindig scheduled for tomorrow night like Quist does here in Missoula.

This was it – Gianforte's last stop on his 7-city tour that he started very early this morning.

He didn’t have a lot of numbers – I saw images of the stop in Missoula today of about 25 GOP die-hards but that’s it.

Greg Gianforte talking to Missoula Republicans on the morning of May 24

Maybe he was just wore out.

It’s really hard to argue with Fox News reporters that saw this unfold, however.

So I’m hearing that the sheriff should press charges for assault at the least, if not battery.

But then we also know that the sheriff of Gallatin County gave $250 to Gianforte’s campaign just two months ago.

Old-time Montana reporter John Adams came out of the woodwork to tell us that one.

When it was just the Guardian story it sounded to me like Gianforte had a phone waved in his face (assault), went to bat it away (defending himself) and the reporter grabbed his wrist (battery).

That’s how he’ll play it tomorrow, if he just doesn’t lie low altogether.

Twitter is lighting up with gleeful people. I'd like to think this won't have an effect, but we'll see.

This is the left's chance to have their media nab the election for Quist.

Many want the Lee Newspapers in Montana to change their endorsement of Gianforte.

Well, they go home when they put up the next day’s edition, which happens at 8 PM.

Are they still in their offices mulling this over, ready to do some rewriting for tomorrow?

Maybe, we’ll see.

Mostly, when Fox News is the witness to it, then you're in trouble.

I bet the Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) and the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) are trying to spin this for tomorrow, and you know what, it might work.

I think many voters will be happy Gianforte attacked those 'damn, liberal, East Coast reporters.'

Lots of votes have been cast already, and James Conner of Flathead Memo gave us the absentee ballot return rates by county in a nice chart.

I still think Gianforte will win this.

I don’t see Gianforte being arrested tonight or tomorrow.

I do see Gianforte laying low at his home in Bozeman with his high-priced lawyers on speed-dial…should the need arise.

I’m sure he’s called several of them already.

Mostly, if he holds tight – and if the police and the sheriff don’t do anything – then he can still win.

I don’t see this driving up turnout a whole lot in places like Missoula.

I do see lots of Republicans that were on the fence about Gianforte (the 24% that voted for Nelson last June) coming out to support him tomorrow.

Or would they rather have a 'dope-smoking hippie' representing them?

I don’t think so.

So like I said, this could actually help Gianforte…or at least get him over the top.

Or those voters that were only leaning-Gianforte could now go to Libertarian Mark Wicks.

Boy, anything is possible and there’s really no way to tell!

Like I said, this is an open post so feel free to comment or vent or cheer or whatever.

And please, vote tomorrow if you haven’t done so already.

It’s set to be an exciting Thursday in the Treasure State. Hang on to your hats.

May 25 Updates
9 AM

So it’s the morning after and here we are.

I went ahead and put my Rob Quist sign back out.

I’m on a busy street in Missoula, so we’ll see. I can’t do much else today to help out, so this is it.

Yes, I’d like Rob Quist to win.

At the same time I’m very hesitant about a Rob Quist win.

You’ve seen his spending, you’ve seen his staff…is this man capable of thinking and acting for himself when he gets to Congress…if he gets to congress?

I’m still not convinced that this Gianforte assault incident is going to win Rob the election.

We know that if Rob does win, it’ll only be due to this incident.

Or am I wrong on that?

Many of us figured that Quist was done until 8 PM last night.

So there’s a lot to process today, a lot to think about, and many of us have already voted.

I’ll keep you updated as the day progresses, and my post-election post will be up tonight around 10 or 11 or maybe even midnight…we’ll see how long it takes to get those results in.

Thanks for reading.

Update
9:45 AM

NBC has a story about 3 possible outcomes for this special election that's worth a look. Two of them have Gianforte winning, one by a little and one by a lot.

I see that Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said Gianforte should apologize, but that Montana should vote for who they think is best.

So there will be no reprimand from the House now or if Gianforte gets in.

This is a huge green light for the Gianforte campaign, and a signal that things will be alright.

The real test already came last night with the citation. It wasn't a felony, only a misdemeanor.

Update
11:05 AM

Now one of the Fox News reporters is changing their story, saying Gianforte may not have grabbed the reporter by the neck.

Fox News reporter changes her Gianforte neck-grab story

So who is Fox News reporter Alicia Acuna...and does she have an agenda?

I see she did cover a lot of Democratic political events. I dunno...smells funny to me.

24 Comments

Greg Strandberg

5/24/2017 09:55:29 pm

We know that as of today at 4:37pm Montana saw 357,597 absentee ballots sent out in total, and 259,312 of them returned. That's 72.5%.

Sounds good, until you consider that Montana had 648,764 registered voters in the 2016 Election, and I'm assuming we have about the same today.

That means just 40% of people that are registered to vote have voted.

So how this incident tonight with Gianforte affects turnout could decide this election. Will people come out, or will they stay home?

I see in many areas of the state it'll be cloudy and perhaps raining.

Ah, how history repeats itself!

Heavy rains had a big effect on the 1945 special election to fill James O'Conner's replacement, as he'd died suddenly in January. Republican D'Ewart took the race over Democrat Leo Graybill, 54% to 46%.

Of course the MVA bill played a big part in that election too, but don't discount rains keeping Democrats from the polls.

5/24/2017 10:47:22 pm

Jon Adams "long time reporter"? Jesus, dude. You're too clueless to have a blog. Although Adams has great potential as a great reporter, he is NOT a long time nuthin'!

I like Jon, and respect him greatly. But truth be told, he is from Wisconsin. But he could be one of the great Montana reporters.

I hope to hell that Jon lives up to his promise. He's one of the best if he has the nuts to do so.

Greg Strandberg

5/24/2017 10:51:45 pm

Didn't he break the John Morrison affair story back in 2006? I'd call that 'long-time,' myself.

5/25/2017 06:08:21 pm

Yes, and he also broke the Walt Schweitzer "story" that was the biggest non-story of the century. The learning curve in Montana is long. But I believe that Jon has now left Montana for parts unknown. I was hoping he would stick around and fight for his adopted state. Guess he didn't have the narlies for that. I think he's back in Wisconsin.

Greg Strandberg

5/24/2017 10:55:36 pm

Well by gosh, they're still awake.

Looks like 30 minutes ago at 10:30 PM or so, the Missoulian rescinded its endorsement of Gianforte.

http://missoulian.com/opinion/editorial/missoulian-rescinds-gianforte-endorsement/article_ab947a9d-9220-5dc5-9193-f1ae9ef03c60.html?utm_content=bufferae23f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=LEEDCC

Greg Strandberg

5/24/2017 10:59:06 pm

And now we're learning that Gianforte received a citation from the sheriff and will have to appear in court by June 7.

Wow, I guess his political career is over. Haven't seen anything like this since that time when Jason Priest lost it.

DGF

5/24/2017 11:07:06 pm

Well not often Montana makes the news let alone political news. There has been 2 hours on CNN and MSNBC but I didn't see anything on Fox News as of yet. All kinds of spin on those two station which both lean very left. But as usual those channels nor even Fox really understand Montana politics. I checked the state absentee ballots returns today and noted the following. In loyal GOP counties the following absentee ballots have been returned Beaverhead 76%,Flathead 72%,Ravalli 74% Yellowstone 71% and Lake 76%. In the usual democrat counties returned as follows Cascade 68%, Missoula 65%, reliable blue Silver Bow 71%. But Native American counties are as follows Roosevelt 64%, Big Horn 53%, and Glacier 50%. If this holds true tomorrow in person polling I still believe Gianforte will win by 5-6%. This incident may turn a few more votes to Quist but one must remember outsiders especially liberal reporters from out of state are as welcome as a skunk in the hen house. In no way do I think Gianforte had the right to attack this man and what better witnesses would one need then Fox News. I just don't think changes the election results. The problem for Gianforte is when no doubt he will be charged with assult will be the fall out of pressure to give up his win. This will hound him to Congress where he will be asked endless questions on this. So what do the republicans do now. There just is no way to spin this to make it right. Will he drop out in AM? I doubt it. Gianforte was never well liked by the majority of Montana GOP but to many votes have been cast already. If there was 10 more days of this campaign(God help us) it would have changed results. I guess Gianforte could play a Trump and just lie,lie,lie that it never happened all fake news(even from Fox). I am sure Rob Quist will be on all morning shows as will be Guardian Reporter. If Gianforte wins Montana will have to live with this for 2 years. Gianforte career is over even if he wins and will have zero power in DC. This is what we get when the GOP was taken over by right wing nut jobs. But the Montana Democrat Party must also share the blame letting the nut jobs of the GOP continue to win. Really is a sad state of affairs

Greg Strandberg

5/24/2017 11:35:11 pm

Spot-on, as usual. Imagine if we'd have done a mail-only election, and how so many ballots would have been cast. Well, so many have been cast now.

GG would be a fool to drop out. Lie low, wait it out, stay quiet, and show up to the victory party tomorrow night.

Many will come out to show their support to GG by voting for him. They don't like the press, the same press that's beating up on Trump.

The people on Twitter's #mtpol don't understand Montana politics. And no, I'm not just talking about the droves of out-of-staters that have shown up over the past few weeks.

Most of the Democrats in Montana's cities don't understand Montana politics either.

It's why they're in the minority, with no plan to gain the majority.

Quist will probably lose tomorrow, just as we've been expecting. I don't see a whole lot of people changing their vote over this incident, even though the city's newspapers think that they're endorsement-reversals are going to stop people on the street.

They're not. I doubt many votes in Miles City, Red Lodge, Plains, Ryegate, Ekalaka, and Hamilton will change tomorrow.

I doubt a lot of people are going to get up off the couch in Missoula tomorrow with the sudden urge to vote because of this.

People are busy. This incident is a small blip on a news cycle that most people aren't even paying attention to anyways.

nemo

5/25/2017 08:36:29 am

He said he'd fight for us in congress. Just goes to show he's ready to go to work for us.

5/25/2017 09:00:14 am

Yes, because just like with all thugs and dictators, Giant fart thinks the press is the enemy! Wow. And he said so just prior to the incident. Wow. And he told the gathered crowd that we outnumber them. Wow. Implying that violence against them is a legitimate tactic. Wow. Guess that we really ARE back to the good old days of il douche!

The left better figure things out real quick. Hey, paddy quitter wms., is it time to fight back yet, dink?

nemo

5/25/2017 10:35:29 am

Press? Those guys who fill up the space in between ads?

5/25/2017 12:05:14 pm

Oh, I get it. You don't like reporters so you think it's OK to assault them. Wow, you're one tough little nazzi.

What does a free press look like in your little nazzzi world?

nemo

5/25/2017 12:23:30 pm

Last real reporter I knew was Dick Pompa. Save your abuse for your dog.

5/25/2017 01:35:01 pm

Nah, I think now that Giant fart has opened the door for abuse against those with which we disagree, I think I'll just abuse anyone I'd like to. Don't you agree, Mr. last real reporter? For that is the exact tactic that you are endorsing, right? For you see, you are NOT a real commenter to me. Last real commenter I knew was...........(fill in the blank). Save your nonsense for your fellow trump supporters.

nemo

5/25/2017 01:57:19 pm

As you like sport. I'll place your comments alongside Pat Williams and Jim Elliot in the old relevance file. Keep fighting the good fight you Nazi slayer you.

nemo

5/25/2017 02:37:44 pm

That chip on your should is YUGE bro, you outta head to Vegas and cash it in. You're awful eager to accept the narrative that fits your narrative here. Short of the reporter releasing the results of the PE of his ER visit all you got is a classic he said/she said. Wait, isn't that how they ran things in Nazi Germany? Point the finger and off to the gas chamber? No wonder you know a Nazi when you sees one.

5/25/2017 06:13:18 pm

What the faaa.........? Really? He said she said? Only leelte problem is that tapes don't lie. And neither did even Alicia Acuna of FOX news. Even the Fox folks were amazed at GG's meltdown.

Hey, as one who has flown off the handle many times, I understand where little christofascist boy GG is coming from. But that is exactly why I don't run for office. I would be punching the shit outta pukes on a daily basis. GG is too stupid to understand that he doesn't have the temperament. I don't fault him for that. I just fault him for being an asshole who thinks he does. A few trips to the pokey is good for a guy like GG. Worked for me!

5/25/2017 06:30:36 pm

Look what this dirty outta state nazzi bitch had to say. Nasty, nasty POS. But THIS is the new Pubbie nazzzi party!

Sheridan Buck, chairwoman, Cascade County Republican Central Committee, said everyone, even a candidate, has the right to expect polite behavior from others, and reporters are not exempt from that expectation.
"Good reporters accept a polite 'no comment' as a signal to stop, but leftist reporters such as those from the Guardian increasingly refuse to behave politely," she said via email. "Rather, they feel empowered to harass people with increasing aggressiveness, as if they are entitled to invade the privacy of others. At a certain point such aggressive behavior is rightly perceived as threatening, but when their actions meet with the predictable results, today’s leftist reporters instantly assume the mantle of victimhood. Good manners are not just old fashioned ideas- they are the lubrication that keeps the machinery of society functioning smoothly.
"Obnoxious behaviors like those of the reporter who harassed Mr. Gianforte throw sand into that machinery, and they deserve to be corrected on the spot," Buck said..
The ACLU of Montana issued a statement that reinforced the freedom of the press.

Greg Strandberg

5/25/2017 09:16:20 am

Well gosh, I've updated this post and might do so again. I added in the Gianforte low-turnout morning event from yesterday, as well as my Quist sign back out.

Anyways, let's say Gianforte gets in today, heads to Washington next week or so...then what? How effective is he going to be? Will he be popular or shunned? Maybe he's an automatic lame duck.

Either way, I hope Amanda Curtis runs in the Dem primary in 2018. Anyone could, even if Quist wins. And if Gianforte wins, I can see an easy win for Curtis in '18.

I'm just awfully worried that the same Hilltop crowd controlling Quist now will control him for the next year or two.

Why Quist's children are allowing this is beyond me. Surely someone like Guthrie Quist can see the corruption in the spending. I guess it's just play ball and ignore it. Very sad.

5/25/2017 06:17:05 pm

WHAT THE FUCK????

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sinclair-montana-station-greg-gianforte_us_59274756e4b06f6080531dc1?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

5/25/2017 10:59:13 pm

THANKS, MT. DIMS! You fucking did it again! ONLY the Montana Dims could run a dink that would make a nazzzi look good! Gotta be real proud of that!

Shit. Quist barely broke forty percent. Jesus frickin' Keeeyrist! A ham sandwich could have pulled more votes!

5/25/2017 11:07:21 pm

p.s. Now, let's get out there and make America GAY again! Oh, and gun control too. The two biggest issues in the Dim lexicon. Fight, fight, fight to make America safe for gays! That's who we are. The Gay avengers!

What a fucking joke the Dim party has become. Thanks tweety pete tallbutt. Thanks lil' Donny pogaybra. Thanks mt. cowturd. We gotta get our gay on!

I give up on the Mizooo Dims again! When did gays become the sole focus of the party?! Take one up the ass for the team. Quist did!

5/27/2017 09:16:10 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=150&v=f3t4NBUb57s

Greg Strandberg

5/29/2017 02:51:49 am

Hi LK,

I was tried to send this via email but your molly address doesn't work with your 'molly' address. Since you're about the only one listening, here it goes:

I'd like to drive up HWY 200 to Great Falls and have a face-to-face with you.

I figure this can go about 2 ways:

I drive up and chit-chat and drive back that night.
I drive up and drink and smoke and we really get into it and I crash on a couch.

Anyways, it's time.

My wife and son our out of town until around June 10.

So anytime between now and then works best for me.

Thanks,
Greg